Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie’

Light Heavyweights

Ovince St. Preux (19-9) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (12-1)

THE MATCHUP: When it comes to MMA, there is one thing Oezdemir does well, and it is not kickboxing -- at least not yet. The Swiss Blackzilian does have some fairly respectable kickboxing and Muay Thai experience, and few would question the technical advice of trainer Henri Hooft. Still, he remains somewhat stiff and slow on the feet, a far cry from teammate and fellow light heavyweight Anthony Johnson. Oezdemir does have some power in his kicks and knees, but his kickboxing game is still coming together. Like many Thai stylists, his square stance and marching footwork do not lend themselves to effective punches, except when he is trading hooks in the pocket. It is fortunate for Oezdemir that, at 27, he should have several years left in which to improve these aspects of his skills; it is equally unfortunate that these years of training will not take place prior to his fight with St. Preux.

No, the thing Oezdemir does well is ground-and-pound. He excels at catching kicks and turning them into sweeps. That skill will surely come in handy against the body kick-happy St. Preux, though the prospect of absorbing Strikeforce vet’s shin with one’s liver in the process of catching it is a dangerous one to say the least. After putting his opponent on the ground, Oezdemir uses an aggressive pressure passing game to get himself into a secure position -- usually half guard or mount, though guard works as well. From there, he will happily rain down punches until either the referee steps in or there is nothing left to punch.

Having been controlled on the ground in the past, St. Preux is certainly vulnerable to this kind of beating. He is also, however, surprisingly difficult to hold down for a man with suspect jiu-jitsu and wrestling. This is due to the fact that St. Preux is an astounding athlete. He may swing wild and give up position, but he is extremely explosive, shockingly powerful and scarily accurate: Recall the check hook with which he dispatched Mauricio Rua, for example. St. Preux tends to prefer pot-shotting and countering to any other method of fighting, and Oezdemir is likely to indulge him by coming forward in pursuit of the clinch and the takedown.

THE ODDS: St. Preux (-310), Oezdemir (+255)

THE PICK: This is a very difficult fight to call. St. Preux has shown poor stamina in the past, particularly in fights where his opponent has succeeded in taking him down: Glover Teixeira and Gegard Mousasi were both able to sap his strength considerably with a focused wrestling attack. In recent bouts, however, he has also shown impressive poise and focus of his own, such as when he fought through a crippling leg injury to beat Rafael Cavalcante. If Oezdemir finds the takedowns early and often or forces St. Preux back into the fence and closes the gap, we may have a new contender in the lightweight division. More likely, however, St. Preux keeps him at range and lands the harder, more telling shots to take a decision. The pick is St. Preux by unanimous decision.

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